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Top of the Tops (sketch)
Bio Top of the Tops is a British pop music and dance program running the top songs from the most famous singers in England with psychedelic imagery and weird camera work. Hosted by Jimmy Savaloy (Benny Hill), the program starts out with an unidentified singer performing In The Papers with members of Petticoat And Vine before Savaloy comes out with several beautiful ladies. Talking in a quick uncontrolled voice, he manages to introduce Roger Twitaker (Benny Hill) who sings "The Whistle Song," but his performance is bothered by two dancers (Mia Martin and Linda Cunningham) eating lemons and by the smoke from the pipe of a gentleman (Nicholas Parsons). Savaloy also introduces Tony Blackbum (Benny Hill) who shows off a blonde dancer (Jenny Lee Wright) before introducing Bobby Gently (Benny Hill) singing "The Dustbins of Your Mind." Savaloy next introduces Roy Orpington (Benny Hill) from America; the two of them talking over each other as Jimmy gestures profusely with his cigar. Singing "Only The Lonely," Roy is filmed with several weird and overdone angles followed by a performance of the Spatchelors (Benny Hill, Jackie Wright and Pete O'Dell) quarreling over their microphone and singing I'll Never Know. Savaloy wraps the show with music from Ronny Aldrich and the Layabouts. Trivia * This sketch was likely a parody of "Top of the Pops," the BBC music chart television program which ran from January 1, 1964 to July 30, 2006. * The sketch starts out with several fictional entertainers with likenesses taken from older 1890s photographs, some of who seem to be parodies of famous Seventies entertainers. These characters include Dusty Stringvest (Dusty Springfield), Simon and Carbunclem (Simon and Garfunkel), Sonny and Share (Sonny and Cher), Faith, Hope and Chastity, Ship, Shape and Bristol Fashion, The Unmarried Fathers, Grumble and Grunt, Joe Cockup (Joe Crocker), Freeman, Harding and Willing and Cobblers. * Jimmy Savaloy was a parody of legendary British radio personality Jimmy Saville. * Roger Twitaker is a spoof of British fol singer Roger Whitaker; Benny also spoofs him in the opener on March 24, 1976. * Tony Blackbum is a parody of Tony Blackburn, another British radio personality. * Bobbie Gently is a parody of American singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry. * Roy Orpington is a parody of American singer-songwriter and musician Roy Orbison; Benny also plays him in The Monte Carbolic Show. * The dancers are Jenny Lee Wright, Sue Bond, Mia Martin, Lesley Goldie and Geraldine Burnett. The other two girls are unrevealed. The six girls together seem to be a very early predecessor to the Hill's Angels of the Eighties. * Orpington's bizarre camera angles return in the Tex Cymbal biography on March 26, 1975. * "I'll Never Know" was also performed by Benny Hill, Vanessa Biddulph and Anna Dawson on March 31, 1986. * Ginger Thompkins (the wild-haired orange-topped soccer player Benny Hill played on December 25, 1969 returns to put his moves on a dancer only for it to turn out to be Nicholas Parsons. * The Spatchelors return on March 24, 1976 with Henry McGee replacing Pete O'Dell. * Benny plays seven characters in this sketch. Episode(s) * Top of the Tops Gallery Tops00.JPG Tops02.JPG Tops03.JPG Tops04.JPG Tops05.JPG Tops06.JPG Tops07.JPG Tops08.JPG Tops09.JPG Tops10.JPG Tops11.JPG Tops12 ginger.JPG Tops13.JPG Tops14.JPG Tops15.JPG Tops16 ginger.JPG Tops17.JPG Tops18.JPG Tops19.JPG Tops20.JPG Category: Sketches Category: Fictional TV Shows Category:1971 Sketches